Ombudsman With Power to ‘Impose Consequences’ Should Review Racism Complaints in Department: Internal Ministry Report

A Canadian Customs and Fisheries officer stands at the U.S.-Canada border between Blaine, Washington, and White Rock, British Columbia, on Nov. 8, 2001. Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

An internal government report says complaints of racism at the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) should be investigated by an independent ombudsman and employees that fail to prove a “baseline level of bias awareness” should be fired.

“Participants consider that the only trustworthy mechanism for reporting and escalating incidents of racism at IRCC is through an external entity, which many liken to an Ombudsman,” said the report, “IRCC 2022-23 Anti-Racism Employee Qualitative Research.”